On Louisiana Eats! NOLA food icon Poppy Tooker takes us into Louisiana's wide open fields, deep waters, bustling markets, and busy kitchens. Poppy's people are carrying on the traditions of Louisiana's wholly local but universally celebrated food, from farm to table, and sometimes barroom! Poppy roams the State to find the folks whose inspiration and innovation are taking the abundant wealth of Louisiana's food culture into the future. Let's eat!

On this week's show, we go back to school for no ordinary education. We take an in-depth look at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) and their flourishing Culinary Arts division — the only chef's training program offered at the high school level in the nation.
It wasn't until recently that the culinary arts discipline was added to the Institute's curriculum. The program's inception was due, in no small... Read More »

Cooking For The Young And Young At Heart
With the proliferation of kid’s cookbooks and cooking shows these days, it’s evident that the kitchen is increasingly becoming the favorite playground of many a child. This week’s show is dedicated to the budding chefs of tomorrow and everyone who is young at heart.
We begin with a conversation with Melina Hammer, author of KidChef: The Foodie Kids Cookbook. Filled with over 75 surprisingly sophisticated and healthy... Read More »

On this week's show, we explore the thriving craft beer scene, which takes us from Louisiana to Europe and many places in between.Locally, the undisputed leader of the craft beer revolution is Polly Watts, owner of the Avenue Pub. We have a conversation with Polly and her team, who recently returned from work outing of a lifetime—a trip to Belgium—where they got the opportunity to meet several of the brewers whose... Read More »

On this week’s show, we’re taking a look at the coffee and tea scene across Louisiana.
We begin with Geoffrey Meeker, owner of French Truck Coffee. It took only one cup of coffee from San Francisco to inspire him to become a New Orleans coffee purveyor. Now, Geoffrey and his team are at the vanguard of what many are calling the third wave coffee movement.
Then, we visit one of the many coffee shops that... Read More »

On this week's show, we're celebrating the tricentennial of Natchez, Mississippi. We'll visit our neighbors across the river and learn how residents are combining history and innovation to make Natchez a singular destination.
Founded in 1716, the river city is home to an impressive array of antebellum mansions and national landmarks. We settle in at one of these estates, the Dunleith Historic Inn, where we’re greeted by historian Terry Trovato, who gives... Read More »

On this week's show, we voyage to the Land of the Midnight Sun and explore Nordic culinary traditions.
To begin our journey, we visit with Chef Magnus Nilsson, the genius behind Fäviken, a world renowned restaurant in a far-flung farming region of Sweden. Magnus has taken on the whole of Scandinavia and beyond in his newly-released Nordic Cookbook, an enormous tome that illustrates the way Nordic food traditions emerged from the... Read More »

It's that magical time of year in New Orleans when cocktailians and spirits experts from around the world come together in the blazing heat for the world's pre-eminent cocktail festival, Tales of the Cocktail. On this week's show, we're giving you an insider's view into the Crescent City’s most spirited gathering.
We begin with Kate Gerwin, the first American and first woman to win the Bols Around The World championship in bartending. Kate... Read More »

On this week’s show, we’re inviting you to a midsummer barbecue for the ages! We’re traveling through country pithouses and urban kitchens in search of the best whole hog barbecue.
We begin with Rien Fertel, author of The One True Barbecue, who demystifies the role of the pitmaster in the tradition of whole hog barbecue in Tennessee and the Eastern Carolinas. Rien’s exhaustive research led him to some of the smokiest... Read More »

On this week’s show, we set out to prove that oysters can — and should — be enjoyed year-round. We’re going behind the scenes to get a better understanding of how those salty bivalves go from farm to table.
We begin with Tolar Nolley, founder of the Oyster Company of Virginia, who’s working to mitigate the loss of Chesapeake Bay’s indigenous oysters. Tolar teach us about his conservation programs and their impacts... Read More »

From the height of its popularity in the 19th century to its modern revival, absinthe has a long and storied reputation. On this week's show, we learn all about the formerly illicit elixir and those whose ongoing fascination with the spirit has helped transform the discourse and regulations here in the United States.
Before false scientific claims and anti-absinthe hysteria lead to it to being banned for almost a century, Pernod... Read More »

The Louisiana restaurant scene has never been hotter. On this week's show, we're touring some special eateries that should be on your radar.
We begin with best buds Aaron Sánchez and John Besh, who reveal the genesis of their collaboration Johnny Sánchez, a restaurant that combines their names and individual culinary sensibilities.
Next, we have a conversation with Chef Alon Shaya, the 2016 winner of the James Beard Award for best new... Read More »

In this special edition of Louisiana Eats, we celebrate the 151st anniversary of Juneteenth — the day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
We take a trip to the Whitney Plantation, the only plantation museum in America that focuses entirely on slavery. The vision for the museum originated with attorney and developer John Cummings, who invested 10 million of his own dollars to help educate the public... Read More »